This is a discussion on FINALLY! within the Engine Modifications forums, part of the Tech & Modifying & General Repairs category; I just got home after finally starting down the upgrade path my 2011 WRX Hatch and I can hardly contain ...

FINALLY!

I just got home after finally starting down the upgrade path my 2011 WRX Hatch and I can hardly contain myself. The car is running so smooth and sounds so beautiful...Even my wife was impressed. Anybody whose married knows that's real talk.

Unrelated to performance, I also got new 18" Enkei Raijin wheels and a set of Yokohama S-Drives. I'm moving to Socal next month so Subie will never see another winter again.

After tuning the report from the Dyno is Max 262HP at the wheels. I will share on the ride home, she felt 5-10% more powerful but I was also driving her the same way I used to...Expecting the engine to cut at 7K, etc. I'm really not sure how hard I'm supposed to push.

Here's my annoying list of n00b questions:

1. Tuner used a Dyno Dynamics dyno. I was told this is known as the heartbreaker dyno because it comes in low. Anyone have any experience with this? Any ideas how low in terms of percentage? I know it's probably ridiculous to be obsessing over the numbers but I am curious to know what my HP really is now.

1a. What's the 'back of the napkin' conversion from HP at the wheel to HP at the crank?

2. During the tuning the car was dumping smoke (see
) is this normal? I am assuming it's because he was getting the mixtures right but I have no idea. I was watching some other videos of cars on the dyno and didn't see anything like this. The kid cleaning the shop said it was because he used some sort of solvent or something on all the rust from the old exhaust (I live in the NE now...Road salt is a killer). Note, I didn't notice any unusual smoke on the ride home.

3. I live at about 80 feet above sea level now. When I drive her across the country, should I mess with the mapping? How will it react to altitude all tuned for performance at sea level?

4. Any advice on where to go next with the tuning path?

5. How hard can I push this thing without blowing my engine??

6. Access port was reporting 16lbs of boost on the ride home...Does that seem realistic? Seems really high to me.

Im glad you are enjoying your car! Ill do the best I can to answer some of your questions. Although on some of them others may chime in and be able to answer something better than me.

1. Im not to familiar with those dyno's so I cannot answer on how low it reads and how far from truly accurate it is. But I will say that you are thinking about it all wrong. To me, and many others, a dyno is used to know that your car is running the absolute best and healthiest that it can. Too many people use dyno numbers as a way to kind of "measure" the hp numbers. No dyno is truly 100% accurate, and the only true way to know how much power your mods gave you is to have a base line done before the tune. Also, I believe that whp is roughly 20% lower than what the hp is at the crank on subaurs.

2. Cant see the video as im at work so.

3. Should be ok, someone with more experience on mapping can chime in here.

4. Next thing you should do is a aftermarket downpipe. Then an aftermarket BPV, since the plastic one is plastic one has been known to fail at stage 2 levels. But to be honest, before anything I would do suspension mods before anything else, along with some bushings.

5. About the same as you did before.

6. 16psi is normal for your mods, which is equal to a stage 1 set up. The accessport boost gauge is pretty accurate. So yea, you are fine there. At stage 2 levels my car has peaked around 19 psi.

Most dyno's differ and I wouldn't be too hung up on the actual WHP numbers that the dyno returns. As long as it is a smooth plot and you picked up a good amount of area under the curve (and the car runs good obviously), then you should be good to go. Did they give you a before and after plot? Assuming you used a reputable tuner, then you got a much better tune than the off the shelf maps can provide. Going from varying levels of atmospheric pressure shouldn't cause too much concern (not of the nature to the point where you would mess with the tune). I would recommend your next steps being beefing up the bushings and handling department. Make a huge difference. Then if you are not happy with the power levels then yes, the down pipe is the next item to install/purchase. Most tuners will offer discounted re-mapping if done within a certain amount of time...worth asking. I probably would have done the down pipe this go-around before you did the pro-tune, but kind of a mute point. 16PSI is normal for stage 1...I've seen higher. You go stage 2 you will want to look into getting an aftermarket BPV, as they plastic and can fail.

Did they give you a before and after plot? Assuming you used a reputable tuner, then you got a much better tune than the off the shelf maps can provide.

Thanks!!

Yes and no, they gave me before and after but the before was a standard cobb stage 1 map. They didn't put it on the dyno before all the new parts went on. However, the Cobb stage 1 map was only 221 WHP so I can see the difference. I just got back from a second ride and the good vibes were flowing big time. Car feels really good.

BTW - The tuner was Kaizen in Boxborough, MA. They have a good reputation and great customer service. Somebody came in on his day off to tune it for me on a Saturday because I'm leaving for LA in a few weeks.

Its anywhere from 150 to 350. Synapse engineering diverter valve is the best. Getting thar when i go stage 3. Im stage 2 at 19 psi and my bpv is fine. I redline twice a day like an idiot and she pushes through. I did, however, blow a bolt off my bpv at 20 psi. But easy fix

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